American College of Physicians warns of 'urgent threat' posed by highly contagious FUNGUS that has a kill rate of 60% and is growing across the US — sparking Last Of Us fears



By Caitlin Tilley, Health Reporter For Dailymail.Com
Updated: 19:35 EDT, 20 March 2023


An influential US medical panel is warning about the dangers of a rapidly spreading deadly fungus — just a week after the hit zombie show The Last of Us wrapped up.

The American College of Physicians (ACAP) said the rise and spread of antibiotic-resistant cases of Candida auris, also known as C auris, is 'particularly concerning'.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) already described the fungus, which kills up to 60 percent of people it infects, as an 'urgent threat' in 2019.

A person is infected after coming into direct contact with a contaminated object. It spreads from person to person by direct contact between them. Strict handwashing,
especially in hospital environments, can prevent its spread.

But the new research from the CDC has revealed case numbers more than tripled across America between 2020 and 2021, with antibiotic resistant strains also becoming more common.


The number of clinical and screening C auris cases reported to the CDC between 2013 and 2021



The distribution of C auris cases across the US as reported to the CDC between 2013 and 2021

Most transmission occurs in healthcare facilities, especially among residents of long-term care facilities or among persons with indwelling devices or mechanical ventilators.
The report, published Monday in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine, studies the fungus that has garnered much attention in recent months.

Increased attention has been placed on fungal infections because of the hit HBO show 'The Last of Us', which involved cordyceps that had evolved to infect people, control their minds and turn them into bloodthirsty zombies that see vines explode out of their bodies and can infect others.

The World Health Organization warns that fungal infections are becoming a 'major threat' to public health.

Some experts claim fungi are becoming more common worldwide as the changing climate makes environments more suitable for them.

The latest study looked at confirmed and probable cases reported to state and local health departments and the CDC between 2016 and 2021.
Researchers found infections rose from 1,310 in 2020 to 4,041 in 2021.

CDC data shows fungal infections have already caused 7,000 deaths in the US — and 1.5million worldwide, in 2021.

And the latest data shows the increase in C auris cases are not letting up, with 2,377 clinical cases and 5,754 screening cases last year.

The study also found that cases of the fungus resistant to the antibiotic echinocandin had also risen — in 2021 there was about three times the number of cases than in each of the previous two years.



Candida caused 1,769 deaths in 2021, the most of any fungal infection in the US. Aspergillosis caused 1,236 deaths, while Pneumocytis was responsible for 449



Fungal infections were responsible for more than 75,000 hospitalizations in the US in 2021. Among those, Candida caused the most, leading to the admission of more than 26,000 people. The next to most common were also targeted by the Georgia vaccine, Aspergillosis, responsible for nearly 15,000, and Pneumocytis, which caused just over 10,000

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/a...rowing-US.html